Weekly graphic. [volume] (Kirksville, Adair Co., Missouri) 1880-1949, 1887-06-17

sight I ever saw, dead and wound
ed men were lying thick; I hated
the yankee as much as anybody
could, but I could not help feel
ing sorry for them; every stitch Of
clothing was stripped off the dead,
and they were left naked on the
field, and | saw fellows deliberate
ly sit down and wait for wounded
men to die, that they might rob
the corps"
did they always wait till they
died" I asked. l could not help
that question.
81 reckon not always" he replied.
But the next day the rebels were
undeceived. If Rosencrantz was
whipped he did not know it; early
in the morning the fighting be-
gan. This time it was the rebels
who we're slowly but surely beaten
back, by the middle of the after
noon the day was won by the
union armies, and the fighting had
almost ceased, except upon the
union right where Breckinridge
asked to be allowed to make an
other charge. The privilege was
granted, but he was soon over
whelmed by the union troops
and beaten from the feldwith ter
rible loss.
"It was foolish thing to do"
said a one legged reoel soldier
who was in that charge, to me,
"and should never have been done.
Bragg was already whipped and it
was only to crafty Breckinridge's s
vanity. It was a useless sacrifice
of brave men just as Prickett's
charge was at Gettysburg"
That night at eleven o'clock
Bragg began his retreat to Chatta-
nooga, and Rosencrantz entrench-
ed himself, remaining for oyer six
months. His old entrenchments
still exist, and one of his forts is
in good state of preservation. A
portion of the land upon which
the battle was fought is owned by
negroes and they work out pre-
carious living raising corn and
cotton. Much of the ground is
covered with thick brush, they tell
me as it was, when the battle was
fought. Many evidences of the
battle still exist; among which is
the scars upon the trees, minnie
balls, pieces of shells and other
things. picked up and brought
away with me a number of bullets,
a piece of a ramrod and also q
piece of a shell.
The spot where General Hazen
made his glorious stand is mark
ed by a monument of cut lime
stone some twelve feet square at
the base and probably fifteen feet
high, upon the faces of which is
cut the names of the officers who
fell upon the spot and around it,
where they with the men who fell
with them are buried. 1t is called
Hazen's monument. One mile
this side, between the Nashville
Pike and railroad is National
cemetery, where 6139 union
heroes lie buried. 1t is beauti-
full spot covered with thick car
pet of blue grass which is kept
moved close to the ground. There
are few native trees still bearing
marks of the awful conflict. Then
the tulip, the maple and the ash
are planted sufficient for shade.
At the head of each grave is erect
ed marble head stone, the name
of the dead soldier carved upon
it and the regiment to which he
belonged. When the name is not
known, simply the number is CIV
en-. An ex-union soldier has
charge of each of the National
cemeteries and 80 far Cleveland, /
believe, has not seen cause to dis
turb any of them.
Near this same battle ground
lies the rebel dead, but no care or
attention is paid to their last rest
ing place. 1t is grown over with
briars and brush, and a few gener-
ations hence the spot will be for
gotten.
Brave as lions, like men they
died, victims of the Slave oil
garchy, their reward is for their
graves to be neglected and forgot
ten, and yet some of the men for
whose ambition they died still
pose as martyrs. For shame!
CECIL.